Falling Into You
by PlayTheGame
Summary: Stephanie McMahon is a successful psychologist moving up in her field. Paul Levesque is a man falling apart due to a devastating tragedy. Can they survive under one roof while he self destructs? AU HHH/Steph McMahon. Rated T for now!
1. Prologue

**A/N** - I was holding off on posting this because I didn't want to have too many fics going on at once but I've decided to just push ahead with it anyways. You'll have to forgive me if I start to suck at updating things as I now have 7 ongoing fics atm and therefore I won't be able to keep pumping out updates all the time. Also, University starts back pretty soon and that always slows things down. None the less, I hope you like this one so let me know what you think please. Also, sorry for the shortness of these chapters but I have to set everything up first lol. Enjoy.......

* * *

The wind was icy cold as it blew his golden strands wildly around his face. A few rain drops fell onto the red roses he held tightly in his hand. He felt the wet droplets gradually get heavier and before long the rain was pelting into him, soaking right through the expensive suit he wore and right into his skin. His body involuntarily shivered as he stood there but he didn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything. His heart had frozen over, just like the grass underneath his feet. Slowly, he lowered his head and let his eyes fall to the white marble slab in front of him.

_Anna Levesque_

_1972 – 2009_

_Loving Wife and Mother_

He knelt on the grass, listening as it crunched under his movements. The heat from his body melted the frost from the blades and his knee began to grow damp but he didn't care. Glancing at the roses one more time, he kissed them softly before placing them upon her grave. He swallowed hard as he got back to his feet and headed towards the waiting car trying with everything he had not to look back.


	2. A New Venture

"That's great that you brought that up, Jenny because that's exactly what we're going to talk about next time OK?"

"OK," the little child nodded whilst managing the smallest of smiles.

"Great, now," the older woman said as she stood from the comfortable bean bag chair and put out her hand for the little girl to take. She offered a warm smile as she felt the small hand slip into hers and they made their way to the door of the office. "If you think you need to talk to me, just remember to call and I'll be there to chat alright?"

The little girl looked into the smiling face of the woman above her and nodded her head again. The door opened behind her and a swoosh of air hit her in the face. She quickly ran to her father who was waiting outside and the pair walked hand in hand down the hall.

Stephanie McMahon stood at the door and watched on. Jenny Robinson was a new client of hers. She was only six years old and was suffering through the horrible divorce of her parents who had finally realised the effect their hatred for one another was causing on their daughter and came to Stephanie for help. The Robinsons were her third major clients. They had money and lots of it. She had no problems bumping up her price for these two. After all, it was the least they deserved considering what they'd done to their daughter. Watching them fall apart had done nothing but turn her into a confused, silent and frightened little girl. She sighed as she shut the door and headed back to the desk. She sat down in the large executive chair and sipped at her water bottle. Sometimes she couldn't believe that she'd made it this far. Big fancy office in a high-rise tower overlooking the city with a couple of big time clients and a waiting list that was growing by the second. She was becoming a hot commodity in the psychology world. People were coming to her to fix their kids problems and give them some therapy. It had been all she ever wanted to do. She always wanted to help people. What better way was there than to help out messed up children?

Sighing once more, her eye caught sight of the e-mail on her computer screen.

_Dear Miss. McMahon,_

_We are pleased to inform you that your application to "Professional Nanny Care Inc" has been accepted. We have scheduled an appointment for 10:30 on Thursday August 7__th__. We look forward to seeing you there and welcoming you aboard the PNC team._

_Yours Faithfully,_

_Diane Jackson_

_Director, PNC_

Her face broke into a victorious grin as she read over it again. It was her new project. She had several children that were severely affected by the absentee parents in their, or more accurately, not in their lives. Her heart had almost broken as she'd sat there and listened to them tell her that they didn't feel loved and felt neglected. That their parents or in most cases, parent, was always working and never had time for them. Growing up, her dad had his fair share of business meetings. He did run his own business after all. But he always made time for her and her brother. Always. After having several sessions with her clients, she decided to make this area her specialty. Not a lot of other psychologists were interested in it either and if she could set the standard theory and practices her career would no doubt sky rocket. Not to mention that she would be able to properly help the children she was seeing. So she decided that the best way to go about it was to experience it firsthand. That's why she applied to the Nanny Agency. Now she was guaranteed a front row ticket to the workings and dynamics of family life for kids whose parents were hardly around. Her mother told her that she didn't know what she was letting herself in for. Counselling children was one thing but looking after them was something completely different, especially for someone who didn't have any kids of their own and therefore lacked experience. Not to mention that she would be using this family as guinea pigs. Stephanie argued about the greater good but her mother just wasn't having it. Her dad had stood there silently not getting involved. He was a pretty smart guy. Either that or he stood by his old belief that his kids would learn through trial and error. Hopefully this wouldn't be one of those times. She wearily shook her head and rid it of thoughts of her family, instead focusing on the meeting on Thursday and the possibilities that lay ahead with this new project of hers.


	3. A Not So Nice Welcome

**A/N** - Thank you to **axxechikka, missbean1997, dx-nodoubt-dx, Destiny** and **Miss. Smokey** for reviewing the prologue and chapter 1. It was probably silly of me to push ahead with this one because now I have so much on my plate lol. Never the less, I plan to keep updating anyways. Well, as much as I can! I hope you like this, let me know what you think!

* * *

"We're pleased to have you on board, Stephanie. Here's the file on the family you'll be staying with. You move out there this weekend. Other than that, congratulations and I hope you don't get hyper-active children!"

The slightly older woman extended her hand and Stephanie gladly accepted. She shook it firmly, sharing in the other woman's joke before they exchanged goodbyes and she was on her way. She walked happily to the basement of the office block and triumphantly plopped into the soft leather seat of her car. She flipped the file open and spread the contents across the wheel so she could see them all.

"The Levesque's. Father is Paul; he works in the city and is gone on business quite a lot. Two children, Samuel and Jaden Levesque aged 4 and 6. Hmmmmm," she flipped through the pages. "I don't see a mother here. Maybe that's why they need a nanny!" She chuckled to herself as she started up the car and made for home. She needed to get packed if she was leaving in two days....

* * *

The airport was busy as she shuffled her way through the masses of people waiting in the arrivals lounge. She pushed past a reconciling couple and screwed her face up at their overzealous public display of affection. "Get a room," she muttered under her breath as she scanned the area in front of her. She was told that a car would be here to pick her up and sure enough, she saw her name printed on a clear white board and approached the man holding it.

"Hi I'm Stephanie McMahon," she offered her hand and the man shook it in a rather weak handshake. Her eyes travelled over his wiry frame. He didn't look a day over 18. His short black hair was gelled to the heavens and she was pretty certain he'd never grown a beard in his life. Surely this couldn't be the successful business man with two kids and a mansion in the Boston suburbs that she had been sent to stay with?

"Miss. McMahon, I'm Jeffrey. Mr. Levesque sent me to pick you up as he couldn't make it here to do it himself," the young man's voice wavered slightly as if he were nervous. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed the lump in his throat and offered to take her bag. He hadn't been expecting the raven haired beauty that was Stephanie McMahon. All the other nanny's that had worked for the Levesque family had been really old women or nerdy young girls, not the absolute stunner before him. He rubbed at his eyes just to make sure he wasn't seeing things before leading her outside and to his car.

They walked in silence, Stephanie taking in her surroundings and Jeffrey trying to act as cool as possible in front of her. "This is us," he stated as they reached the black Lincoln continental executive car. She bit her lip to refrain from laughing as she watched him struggle to put her case in the trunk.

"Do you want a hand with......."

"NO! I mean......I'm fine..." he gave one final shove and smiled in delight when the heavy case landed with a thud inside the trunk of the car. "See!" He smiled once again before opening one of the back doors for her but he was pleasantly surprised when she pushed it closed.

"I'd rather ride up front actually if that's OK? Maybe you can fill me in on Mr. Levesque and his children?" she laughed at his heartily smile and thanked him as he once again opened the door for her. She got comfortable in the soft, heated leather and waited until they were out of the airport before she began speaking. She didn't want to rattle him while he was driving. If she was being honest, the thought of a mere boy driving this beast of a car had her a bit nervous. But those nerves quickly left once she realised that he was more than at ease driving the car.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," he chuckled at her expression. "I haven't crashed a car yet!"

Stephanie smiled at him. "You must get that a lot huh?"

"I do. I suppose it would help if I filled out a little. Unfortunately I think I'm destined to stay skinny and lanky for the rest of my life."

His self inflicted dig immediately broke the ice between them and they began chatting like they were old friends.

"So.......the Levesque's. What are they like?" she asked anxiously. She was a bit disappointed that the man himself didn't come to get her and was therefore eager to know all she could about the family she would be staying with for the foreseeable future.

"Well there's little Sammy and Jaden who are two of the nicest kids you'll ever meet. Sammy's a little monster sometimes but you gotta love him for it. And Jaden will sit and chat to you about everything and anything for hours. You'll love them, trust me," he smiled at her. He really did have a great relationship with the Levesque children. He'd been the family driver since he was 17. That was over 3 years ago. His dad had got him the job as a favour to Mr. Levesque.

Stephanie had watched his face light up as he spoke about them and couldn't help but get caught up in his excitement. "And what about Mr. Levesque?" His expression quickly changed at the mention of their father and she couldn't help but wonder why.

"Mr. Levesque........he's a great guy. He's just going through a tough time at work and so, he needs some help with the kids." He realised that he hadn't been as enthusiastic about the elder Levesque as he had been about the younger ones. Her confused expression spoke volumes. But it wasn't his place to tell her. He was under strict instructions not to inform the nanny about anything to do with Mr. Levesque's personal life and his current situation. Those orders had come straight from the man himself and he wouldn't dare disobey him. At times he found himself in awe of the man and there was no way in hell he was getting on his bad side.

"You don't sound too fond of him," commented Stephanie, hoping that he would elaborate a little further.

"He's just going through a hard time at the minute so he's not himself. Believe me though, he really is a decent guy. Try and remember that."

His cryptic response did nothing to appease her. He kept referring to a hard time. What had happened to this family? And more specifically, what had happened to Mr. Levesque? Young Jeffrey seemed a little bit intimidated by the other man. She could tell by his body language, by the way his hands gripped the steering wheel and by his tone. To say her interest had been piqued was an understatement. But seeing how uncomfortable the conversation made the younger man, she decided to switch topics and leave it for another day. "How much longer until we get there then? I'm quite excited to meet the children now."

"Oh it shouldn't be long. We're almost out of the city now. After that it's only another 40 minutes or so," he answered before throwing a glance her way. "So, where are you from?"

Stephanie smiled as they engaged in friendly conversation for the rest of the ride to the Levesque household.

* * *

The huge mansion was a beautiful sight to behold as she stood in front of it. It looked almost statuesque amongst the surrounding trees and bright blue sky. It was similar to the home Stephanie had grown up in as a child. Maybe she would have something in common with the children after all. Upper class kid in the suburbs, yeah that was her alright!

"This is you, Stephanie. I'll probably see you at some stage tomorrow. Have fun!"

"Bye Jeffrey! Thanks for the ride!" She smiled in his direction. He waved before hopping inside the car and going on his way.

She slowly turned around and took a deep breath before trailing her case to the door and knocking on it. She waited a moment or two before she heard the sound of two little voices that appeared to be in the middle of an argument. The voices stopped and the door suddenly opened. She looked down to find the cutest little boy she had ever seen standing there smiling back at her. He was joined by an angelic looking little girl who was also smiling. She stuck out her hand as the little boy pushed the door open further to let her in.

"Welcome to our home Miss. McMahon. We are very pleased......to have you here," she said and Stephanie couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping her. The little girl had obviously learned that off. Her chuckle turned to a full grown laugh at the sight of the little boy trying with everything in him to pull her case inside the house.

"We are pleased to have you here!" He yelled excitedly as he gave up on the case and stuck his hand out too.

Stephanie happily shook both their hands and brought herself down to their level. She turned to the little girl. "You must be Jaden. It's very nice to meet you, I'm Stephanie."

"Hi Stephanie!" she answered with a huge smile.

"And you," she started as she turned to the little boy. "You must be....."

"SAM!" he yelled as he jumped up and down. "Sam! Sam! Sam!"

Stephanie laughed as Jaden lightly thumped him on the arm and told him to calm down. "So, is your dad around?"

"He's not here right now. But he told me to give you this," answered Jaden, handing over a small piece of paper.

Stephanie took the paper curiously. "And he left you here all alone?"

"Of course not dear!"

All heads turned to that of the woman standing at the far end of the foyer. She was an older woman and was wearing an expensive green linen skirt suit with a huge emerald broach on the left lapel. Her hair was in a perfect perm and she practically floated across the room as if she'd learned how to walk whilst trying to balance a book on her head in some finishing school for girls. Stephanie held back her laughter as the eccentric woman approached her.

"I'm Rita Winsley, dear. I live across the street. Paul asked me to mind the children as he's working today. He should be home later." She turned her attention to the two little people standing at Stephanie side. "Now dearies, I'm off. Behave for your new nanny here and I'll see you soon. Goodbye!"

Stephanie saw the slight look of disgust on little Sam's face as both he and his sister uttered a less than enthusiastic _"Goodbye Mrs. Winsley_," before the whirlwind that was Rita Winsley left them in peace.

They stood there in a few moments of silence. Stephanie gripped the paper she held in her hands a little tighter.

"You're really pretty for a nanny."

Stephanie turned to Jaden and smiled. She was standing there fiddling with her hands nervously. Stephanie was glad to see that she wasn't the only one feeling a bit awkward. "Thank you, Jaden. You're a really pretty little girl too, you know." And she was. Her golden blonde hair fell around her face in loose curls and her deep blue eyes sparkled with youthful enthusiasm when she smiled. The same went for her brother. His sandy coloured hair was constantly covering his hazel eyes and he was forever brushing it off his face. Jeffrey wasn't lying when he said they were two of the nicest and cutest little kids. "Listen, how about we go watch some TV while we wait for your dad to come home huh? Would you like that?"

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Let's go watch the TV, Jadey!" yelled Sam as he practically ran off with his sister in hot pursuit. Stephanie laughed. She guessed that he was slightly hyper. Just slightly. She followed them into the expansive living room and took a seat on the soft cream sofa. The high pitched voices of the television characters mixed with the laughter of Sam and Jaden filled the room as she glanced around it. The room was beautifully decorated and was very homey. Although there didn't seem to be very many pictures around the place. She wondered why. Suddenly the soft feel of the paper between her fingers caught her attention. She opened the note and couldn't help but scoff at what was inside.

_**I'll be home late. Dinner in oven for kids. **_

_**Paul Levesque**_

What the hell was this? She turned it over in her hands, looking to see if there was anything else on the back but to her dismay there wasn't. His masculine scrawl signed the note almost on autopilot she guessed. It looked too formal. Still in shock, she read over the note one more time before scrunching it up in her hand. This was going to be fun. First of all the guy couldn't be bothered to come and pick her up, then he wasn't even at his own house to welcome her here and now he wasn't even going to be home in time for dinner. She had the right material for her study all ready. Paul Levesque was quite the asshole! She'd start right there!


	4. Insider Information

**A/N** - Try to stick with me on this one please. I need to lay the groundwork before I can get into the good stuff lol. Thanks to **smokey**, **PaulluvsSteph, PaoHalliwell, missbean1997, Destiny, dx-nodoubt-dx** and **XoX-Shady-XoX** for reviewing the last one. I understand things are moving quite slow but I'd rather do that than rush, you know. Anyways, please let me know what you think. Thanks!!

* * *

"You wake her!"

"No, you wake her!"

The little whispered voices coming from the end of the bed forced her to fully wake up from her much needed slumber. She raised her head and caught sight of the culprits, holding in her laugh as they continued to bicker over who would be the one to wake her up. "Guys, I'm awake!" Their little blonde heads whipped around in shock wringing the laugh out of her.

"Daddy said you have to bring us to school," chimed Sam.

Stephanie let out a sigh as she sat up and got out of the bed. So she was finally going to meet him. May as well get it over and done with. "Have you guys eaten breakfast yet? What time do you usually leave for school?" she asked, taking a hand from each of them and walking down the large winding staircase. The muffled sound of the news reader became clearer and clearer as they reached the expansive kitchen. Stephanie frowned in confusion, looking around the room for Mr. Levesque but she didn't see him there.

"School starts at nine but we're normally there for eight forty-five," replied Jaden, looking up expectantly at Stephanie. "We haven't had breakfast yet. Daddy said you would make us some before you took us to school."

"I'm hungry," chirped Sam.

Stephanie smiled down at him in an attempt to hide her growing anger. Their father couldn't even be bothered to make them breakfast, instead leaving it all to her. "That's alright, Sam. What would you like to eat? And where is your dad by the way?

"LUCKY CHARMS!" squealed Sam excitedly as he eagerly ran to kitchen table and climbed onto the chair.

"Daddy's not here. He left for work just before you woke up," replied Jaden, joining her brother at the table. When a prolonged silence filled the room, the young girl turned to find Stephanie standing there with her mouth hanging open. She simply could NOT believe that he had just up and left her AGAIN! Was he ever going to bother himself to meet the woman caring for his children? He obviously didn't care enough to want to find out what she was like. Last night when she'd put the kids to bed, which had been a struggle in itself as they had been hyperactive all day long, she had sat up and waited for him to come home. She must have sat until almost midnight before giving up and heading to bed. Fully expecting him to be here when she got up this morning, she simply couldn't believe that he wasn't.

"He what?" she asked again. Maybe she didn't hear properly the first time.

"He left for work just before you woke up," said Jaden again, looking at the older woman strangely.

"Jesus Christ!" Stephanie muttered under her breath. Last night she was willing to give him a chance but not anymore. What type of father was he? She'd only been there for one day and already had plenty of material to work with.

"Miss. Stephanie, can I have lucky charms please?"

Sam's innocent voice immediately broke her reverie. She could fume later, right now she needed to get these kids fed and to school.

* * *

"Silence at last," Stephanie sighed as she plopped down onto the comfortable sofa. Maybe it was the fact that she had never had to get kids ready for school in the morning before. Or maybe it was the fact that cute and innocent little Sam had turned into a nightmare once the sugar from his lucky charms kicked in. The little guy had her run off her feet until she eventually got him buckled into the car where he then proceeded to sing his own songs at the top of his lungs. This in turn caused Jaden to kick up a fuss and Stephanie had been forced to play peace maker the whole way to school. In the space of two hours she had developed a new found respect for her friends who had children. She sat for a few moments, just taking in the beautifully decorated living room when she noticed something strange. There were no pictures. She found that unusual. The room was obviously lived in and seemed the most homely out of the three living rooms that were located downstairs. With her interest piqued she lazily stood and began a thorough walk around the large house. She walked around the rooms, even daring to venture into the exquisite and what she guessed to be, reception room. It was tastefully and elegantly decorated with a white and crystal colour scheme. But just like all the other rooms in the house there were no pictures. She scratched at her head in confusion. Just as she was about to head upstairs and continue her search, the sound of the ringing doorbell diverted her attention.

Upon opening the door she was greeted with the ever so happy face of Rita Winsley. The elder woman bristled past her and into the foyer without an invitation. A look of confusion crossed Stephanie's face as she waltzed on into the main living room and made herself at home.

"Well dear, are you coming?"

Her snooty English accent drifted throughout the house and Stephanie rolled her eyes before making her way towards the living room. "Can I help you Mrs. Winsley?"

"Yes dear. I'll have a tea please with just a nip of sugar. Thank you. Now hurry along, we have some things to discuss," came the oblivious reply.

Stephanie's eyes widened in shock. She was nobody's coffee girl that was for sure. Just who the hell did this woman think she was? "Excuse me?"

"Tea. Nip of sugar. Thank you dear."

The tight lipped reply sent a fuming Stephanie into the kitchen where she angrily boiled some water, plopped a teabag into a cup, filled it with water and forcefully stirred it around before plucking the teabag out and storming back out to the living room. As carefully as she could manage, given her current frame of mind, she passed the cup into the elder woman's hand before sitting down on the chair adjacent to the sofa with a heavy sigh.

"There's no sugar, dear."

Stephanie bit her lip to keep from smiling. She hadn't meant to leave out the sugar on purpose but boy was she glad that she did! Deciding to just go with the flow she answered, "Yes there is. You asked for a nip of sugar. How was I to know that you wanted more?"

The elder woman's eyes studied her for a few seconds before she stuck her nose back in the air and sipped at her tea.

"So what is it you wanted to discuss with me?"

"Well, dear," started Mrs. Winsley as she set her cup on the coffee table. "I just wanted to give you a general idea of what to expect whilst working for Paul. Hopefully you stay here long enough to stick to the ground rules. So........"

"Wait a second!" Stephanie interrupted. "What do you mean hopefully I stay here long enough? What do you mean by that?"

"Let's just say that Paul has become.......rather ..............well rather withdrawn. Yes, that's the right word for it, withdrawn. In other words, he's not the easiest man to get along with right now and can be quite difficult. I just hope that you're much stronger willed than all those other girls and don't decide to up and leave after two weeks!"

Stephanie half smiled. "The things they leave off the application form, huh?"

"Well I hardly think 'unstable father with two children,' would get many replies do you?"

A sudden seriousness fell over the old grey eyes, causing Stephanie to realise that there was much more to the mysterious Paul Levesque than met the eye. There was something Mrs. Winsley wasn't telling her. But the fact that she _had_ told her this much gave her faith that the rest would come soon. "I don't think so, no. Is he...........alright? I mean he's not going to fly off the handle and.........."

The elder woman's high pitched laughter rang throughout the empty rooms of the mansion. "No, no, no dear! He's just going through a hard time. He'll come around. I just wanted to warn you that he may be a little hard to deal with for a while. But please stick with him, for the children. They deserve some stability and some form of a female figure in their lives." She finished off her tea before getting to her feet and heading for the door.

"Wait a minute!" Stephanie frowned as she ran after her. "What do you mean by............."

"Goodbye, dear!"

And with that, Rita Winsley floated off the premises and back down the road to her own home. Stephanie stood there feeling seriously confused. Why did the woman insist on speaking in riddles? She felt like she knew too much yet still knew nothing all at the same time. But there was one thing she definitely took from today. There was something going on with Paul Levesque. Having not even met the man yet, maybe she was quick to judge. Hopefully when she was finally graced with his presence she could make an informed judgment for herself. But going off of what old bat Winsley said, she didn't think that particular meeting was going to be a pleasant experience.


	5. Sight Seeing

**A/N** - Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it. So, our brooding mystery man is about to make an appearance lol. I hope I did him justice! Please leave a review and tell me what you think of this one. Thanks.

* * *

"Miss. Stephanie, can we have pizza for dinner?"

Stephanie finished the sentence she was writing in her jotter and looked up to find Sam standing in front of her. He was holding some sort of robot toy in one hand and a police car in the other. "What was that, Sam?"

"Can we have pizza for dinner?" he asked again. A toothy grin crossed his face when his sister appeared at his side.

"It's Friday. Daddy lets us eat the takeout food when school is over," added Jaden.

Stephanie felt like telling them that their father wasn't there but that wouldn't do anybody any good. And she wanted to be on their good side. Besides, a little pizza never hurt anybody. "You guys want pizza?"

"Yeah! Yeah!" cried Sam jumping up and down on the spot.

"Then pizza it is," she said with a smile, taking a hand each and leading them into the kitchen. She laughed as Sam tried to balance the toy robot and police car all in the one hand. His little fingers were barely able to grasp one of the toys never mind both. Luckily for him, Jaden stepped in and took hold of the car. "So, do you know where the takeout menus are?"

"Daddy just calls the pizza man and he brings the pizza!" answered Sam innocently causing Stephanie to laugh out loud this time. He really was a little cutie.

"The pizza man, huh?"

"Yep. Tell her, Jadey."

Her golden blonde strands bounced as she nodded her head. "Daddy calls the man on the phone and then soon after, the pizza comes!"

"Well, I don't know the number for the pizza man. But, I do know that we can go for a little drive and try to find his shop. What do you think about that?" She was met with enthusiastic cheers. "Alright then, grab your coats and let's go." Smiling as they ran off in a mad dash, she glanced at the clock and noticed it was only seven thirty in the evening. That was plenty of time to get them fed and to bed without it being too late. She walked towards the door and waited a few seconds before two little blurs bumped into her leg.

"Pizza!" Sam cried excitedly.

Stephanie couldn't help but laugh. The little guy got excited about everything! She opened the door and ushered them out and to the car. The keys had been sitting in a bowl in the kitchen. She figured she'd just take the liberty seeing as Mr. Levesque still couldn't be bothered to lay the ground rules himself. But she wasn't going to think about him. Right now, her focus was on getting two hungry little mouths fed.

* * *

With a tired sigh, she gently placed Sam onto his bed. She pulled off his shoes and socks and as gently as possible, tugged him from his coat. She debated on whether or not to change him into pyjamas. If she jostled him too much he might wake up and then she'd probably be up half the night trying to get him to go back to sleep. Deciding that his little sweat pants and t-shirt would do for the night, she pulled the covers around him and tip toed out of the room. They had ended up just eating out and the kids had fallen asleep in the car on the way home. Jaden had been easy to get to bed as she was practically dead on her feet. Sam was always that little bit more hyper than his sister though. That's why she didn't want to disturb his sleep. As she made her way back down the stairs she noticed a car parked in the drive-way that wasn't there before. An anxious feeling gripped her stomach. This was it. She was finally going to meet him. Continuing her walk down the stairs, her eyes were all over the place, looking everywhere in the hope that she would spot him. But she didn't. In fact, after a sweep around the entire down stairs of the house, she didn't spot him anywhere.

"What the hell?" she mumbled as she scratched her head in confusion. But then she heard the sound of movement coming from up the stairs. She paused, unsure of what to do. Maybe she should just go to bed and deal with him in the morning. But her curiosity was winning her over. She needed to meet him! As quietly as possible, she tip toed up the stairs and waited on the landing. A muffled sound was coming from the master bedroom. As she got closer, the sound became more and more like the sound of running water. She walked closer and closer to the door until suddenly, the water sound stopped. Her heart caught in her throat and she quickly and quietly ran to her room. She hid in the doorway and waited. Some form of movement was still audible. After a minute or two, the door opened and a tall figure emerged. Her eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw him. His long blonde hair was damp from the shower and sticking out all over the place. His face was hidden behind the wet locks which rested on a set of broad shoulders. The water trickled down the rippling muscles of his chest and into the bath towel that was loosely fastened around his waist. Her mouth was practically salivating at the sight of him but she couldn't help it. She had never seen anything so mesmerising in her life. He slowly walked on down the hall to his daughter's bedroom. After a moment or two, he exited the room. She frantically jumped even further behind the door, afraid that he would see her. This was insane! Why the hell was she hiding from him? She should be out there introducing herself. But she couldn't do that. Not when he was just out of the shower and looking so damn........so damn...........hot! His soft footsteps padded in the other direction as he walked to his son's room. She took the opportunity to check out what the back of him had to offer. The hard muscles of his back flexed as the water dripped down them. Damn if the man wasn't some sort of Adonis. Her eyes continued to stare until the little voice in the back of her head started to speak up. This was wrong! She couldn't be checking him out like this. He was the ass that couldn't even be bothered to introduce himself and had practically dumped his kids on her the second she had arrived. At that thought, her temper began to rise and she was all for barging out from behind the door and reading him the riot act until the sound of a door closing caught her attention. She slinked back behind her door and watched as he walked back to his room and just like that, he was gone.

"Jesus!" she sighed, letting out the breath she didn't even know she was holding. She stood there for a few moments, trying to take in what had just happened. What was she talking about? Nothing had happened! Nothing other than her spending way too much time checking him out. She couldn't even try to figure that one out yet. Right now, all she wanted to do was get in a good night's rest before tomorrow. She felt she was going to need it if she was to meet Mr. Levesque in the morning. God knows she was going to need some measure of control and she couldn't have that without a decent night's sleep. With a yawn, she crawled into bed and cuddled into the covers.

"Good night, Mr. Levesque," she whispered into the room before heading for a somewhat peaceful sleep.


	6. Breakfast

**A/N** - I'm really starting to get into writing this one so you can expect some updates coming your way. Thanks for the feedback on the last chapter, it means a lot. Enjoy...

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Stephanie rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up from the bed. Some sheets had fallen onto the floor but she didn't need those to tell her that she had a restless night. She just couldn't get the image of him out of her head. From what she had seen, he really was a beautiful man. But every time she thought about that another thought came to mind and that was how much of an ass he must be to treat her and his own kids the way that he had. No amount of gorgeousness could make up for that. She ran a hand through her messy strands and dragged her tired body out of the bed. She heard the sound of laughter coming from down the stairs. With her curiosity peaked, she timidly walked down the winding staircase where the chuckles and giggles from the children only got louder. When she walked through the swing door she was greeted with the sight of Sam and Jaden sitting at the breakfast bar watching cartoons on the small TV. But there was no sign of him. A disgusted feeling began to form in her gut. Surely to God he couldn't have left them again and on a Saturday no less.

"Stephanie!"

She turned her attention to Jaden who was waving at her enthusiastically and smiled at the young girl.

Sam offered a toothy grin of his own as he swept his overgrown hair from his eyes. "Hey Stephanie! Do you want to watch SpongeBob with us?" he asked innocently.

"That would be great, Sam." She walked further into the room and was just about to take a seat on the opposite side of the breakfast bar to the kids when a tall figure popped up from the floor. Stephanie gasped and clutched at her chest in surprise at the sight of him. He had obviously been fiddling around with the oven. That's why she couldn't see him. He wiped his hands on his faded jeans and turned to face her. Finally, their eyes met and she swore she had never seen anything like them. They were a beautiful shade of brown, more like hazel. But the thing she noticed most was how vacant they were. He managed half a smile and stuck out his hand.

"Paul Levesque. It's good to finally meet you."

Reeling herself back in from his gaze, she lightly shook her head and bit back the urge to scoff at him. It was his fault that they were only meeting now. But she shook his hand anyway and tried to ignore how soft it felt or how big it was as she replied. "Stephanie McMahon. And you too. I didn't know if you were going to be here today. It's nice to finally put a face to the little note you left for me." She hoped to God that the sarcasm she intended didn't come across too strongly. His slight tilting of the head told her that she hadn't been too successful.

"It's Saturday." He held her gaze for a few moments until the click of the coffee machine broke their tension filled stare. "You want coffee?"

Her face screwed up when he turned his back and pulled two mugs from the cupboard. "Yes. Black please." That was it? That was all the explanation she got for him not showing the least bit of interest in her or his own damn children? She choked down the burning questions within her. Those were best saved for when Sam and Jaden weren't around. For now she would settle for some gentle probing over coffee. "So, what exactly do you work as?"

Paul passed her a mug and took a seat at the breakfast bar behind Jaden. He wrapped his arm around her small frame and gently kissed her hair as he tried to figure out the woman across from him. He could tell she was pissed off. But he was a busy man. He had no time to run around after the God damn nanny. She would probably only last a few weeks anyway. All the rest of them had left. He didn't see why she would be any different. Although she definitely looked different from the rest. She wasn't in her sixties or a frumpy forty year old. She was beautiful and younger. She looked to be in her early thirties at the most. And for some reason, despite having only met her, something about her screamed success. She was most definitely not your average, run of the mill nanny. If he could bother himself he'd wonder how she found herself with this job. But there was never any point in trying to get to know these nanny's. In the end they all left.

"I work for the Doncaster group. We buy failing companies and sell off the parts to turn a profit." He watched her over his cup as he took a sip. Her eyes gave nothing away, nothing except their deep blue colour.

"I see," she nodded, trying to hide her disgust. She'd heard of the Doncaster group before. They had actually tried to buy out her father's business back when they had been struggling to get on their feet. From what she knew they preyed on vulnerable businesses then ripped them apart and left nothing behind all in the name of making a buck. Somehow she wasn't surprised. Given his attitude towards his family she wasn't the least bit surprised to find out that he was a heartless and ruthless business man. "I guess it keeps you very busy. I mean, for the little time I've been here I haven't seen you at all until today."

"Yes, it keeps me busy. Money doesn't make itself."

Again they fell into quite the heated stare. As if on cue, the oven timer pinged and he promptly got up from his seat and began removing whatever had been cooking in there.

"Cross-ants! Yummy!" cried Sam, his fingers grabbing for one of the hot morsels of food before his father had even set them on the table.

Jaden frowned at her younger brother. "It's _croissants_, Sam." She turned to her father. "Tell him daddy."

"She's got you there, Sammy. They're called _croissants_. They're French," Paul answered, patting his son on the head as he munched on the bread.

"Croissants!" Sam yelled happily, this time getting it right.

"That's right," Paul laughed, setting one onto his plate and cutting into it.

Stephanie watched as he began to spread some butter and jam inside. She looked at the children. They seemed relaxed. Much more relaxed than when they were alone with her. She was expecting them to act oddly around him. After all, he was never here to spend time with them. But maybe he hadn't always been this way. She suddenly felt a little guilty for judging him. She had only been here a few days and she clearly didn't know the full story when it came to this family. There was obviously a reason for his behaviour. She guessed it had something to do with the children's mother or Paul's wife or girlfriend. Whatever it was it had to be pretty serious. Despite the fact that she didn't know him that well the man looked so damn empty. Even when he smiled at his children it didn't quite fully reach his eyes.

"Daddy, are you going to spend the whole day with us?" Jaden asked hopefully. "I don't like it when work calls and you have to go. Then Mrs Winsley has to look after us and I don't like her!"

"Don't worry. I'll be here all day. And besides, if work does call then you've got Stephanie to look after you now." His eyes rose to look at her. "I'm sure she's much better than Mrs Winsley. Right?"

"I like Stephanie better because she doesn't pinch my cheek really hard or make me watch boring stuff on TV," Sam said somewhat seriously.

If there was one thing Stephanie had learned about little Samuel it was that he took his TV seriously! She bit her cheek to keep from laughing at the forlorn expression on the little guy's face. He was definitely remembering a not too fond memory of that old bat.

Paul smirked at her. "Well those are pretty good reasons." He took a sip of his coffee then placed the mug back onto the table. He smiled at Sam but frowned at the sad look on his daughter's face.

"But you aren't going to go to work today, right? I miss the time when me, you, Sam and Mommy would............"

Paul pulled her tightly against him and closed his eyes. He couldn't listen to her talk about what they used to do, how their lives used to be. He just couldn't do it. He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "I'll be here."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Stephanie awkwardly gulped some of her coffee down. She felt like she wasn't supposed to be there, like she was witnessing a family moment when she wasn't exactly family. Despite his coldness towards her, he did seem to genuinely care for his children. And his immediate stiffness over the mention of their mother didn't go unnoticed by her. She wondered what the hell had happened and why they never spoke about it. Hell, there weren't even any pictures of her around the house. There weren't any pictures of anybody actually. She was getting curious. Too curious for her own good. At the end of the day she was only here to be the nanny. But that wasn't really why she took this job. It was all research for her. Well, that's what she kept telling herself anyway.


End file.
